Lithium recovery from phosphate minerals

a technology of phosphate minerals and lithium, which is applied in the direction of improving process efficiency, etc., can solve the problems of amblygonite, amblygonite is problematic, and the prior art effort has not involved direct leaching in the acidic media of the mineral, so as to achieve a higher lithium recovery and reduce the volume of the liquid

Active Publication Date: 2019-06-20
LI TECH PTY LTD
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AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0053]Preferably, the Li2CO3 precipitation stage (xii) is operated at elevated temperature and the liquor volume is reduced by evaporation. This will result in a higher lithium recovery. For example, this may be >90° C.

Problems solved by technology

To date, there has been no commercial production of Li2CO3 from amblygonite rich ores or concentrates.
The presence of amblygonite is problematic for refineries that produce Li2CO3 from spodumene concentrate.
Importantly, none of these prior art efforts have involved direct leaching in acidic media of the mineral.
The process operating costs appear high due to the requirement for sodium hydroxide solution, and the alkaline leach liquor requires further processing to produce a stable waste stream.
The separation of lithium from phosphate has been considered problematic by those working in this field.

Method used

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  • Lithium recovery from phosphate minerals
  • Lithium recovery from phosphate minerals

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Embodiment Construction

[0057]The process of the present invention comprises a novel and improved combination of operating steps, one or more of which may have been used previously, in other combinations and for other purposes, in mineral processing and hydrometallurgical processes.

[0058]In very general terms, in one embodiment of the present invention, a lithium and phosphate containing mineral, for example amblygonite, is pre-concentrated, if required, by a mineral separation process, for example flotation. The amblygonite ore or concentrate is then subject to a pre-treatment step comprising, for example, fine milling. The lithium, sodium, phosphate, aluminium and fluoride present in amblygonite are extracted by strong sulfuric acid leaching, producing a leach liquor or pregnant leach solution containing lithium, sodium, phosphate, aluminium and fluoride. Lithium is separated from residual impurities, including, but not limited to, sulfuric acid, phosphate, aluminium, iron, manganese, calcium, sodium and...

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Abstract

A process for the recovery of lithium from minerals rich in lithium and phosphate, the process comprising passing an ore containing one or more minerals rich in lithium and phosphate to an acid leach step thereby producing a pregnant leach solution, subjecting the pregnant leach solution to a series of process steps by which one or more impurity elements are removed, and recovering lithium as a lithium containing salt product, wherein the series of process steps by which one or more impurity elements are removed includes a low pH impurity removal step conducted at an elevated temperature for the precipitation of one or more impurities.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a process for the recovery of lithium from phosphate rich minerals. More particularly, the process of the present invention is intended to allow for the recovery of lithium from minerals such as amblygonite and montebrasite.[0002]The process of the present invention consists of a novel and improved combination of operating steps, one or more of which may have been used previously, in other combinations and for other purposes, in mineral processing and hydrometallurgical processes.BACKGROUND ART[0003]The major sources of commercially mined Li2CO3 have historically come from brine solution and spodumene containing ores. To date, there has been no commercial production of Li2CO3 from amblygonite rich ores or concentrates. Amblygonite is present in many pegmatite deposits, and co-exists with spodumene in some pegmatites. The presence of amblygonite is problematic for refineries that produce Li2CO3 from spodumene concentrate. A...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C22B26/12C22B3/44C22B3/08
CPCC22B26/12C22B3/44C22B3/08C22B1/00Y02P10/20
Inventor JOHNSON, GARY DONALDURBANI, MARK DANIELVINES, NICHOLAS JOHN
Owner LI TECH PTY LTD
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